Dozens of young swimmers hopped into the Verdugo Pool on Tuesday with twelve-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres to swim 24 laps, signifying that meningococcal meningitis can claim a life in just 24 hours.
Swimmers from Burbank and Hancock Park gathered to...

Burbank Sunrise Rotary celebrated 25 years of supporting local charities and raised more than $38,000 for Rotary International's polio eradication campaign during a dinner party earlier this month at the Holiday Inn Burbank — Media Center.
A raffle...

One Tuesday a month, Stephen Houlemard gets a ride to the Glendale Free Clinic, located on the second floor of the First United Methodist Church of Glendale, from a friend.
Houlemard, a Temple City resident, comes to the clinic to monitor the diseases...

I had plans. Big, juicy ones. I had the kinds of plans that enable men to conquer mountains (or at least the hills above downtown Burbank).
I was going to write and hike and take in the warm air while the entire northeast United States seemingly...

On April 9, more than 800 people living with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and advocates from across the nation will gather in Washington, D.C. for the 26th annual Alzheimer’s Assn. Advocacy Forum. Representing millions of people impacted by Alzheimer’s across the country, they will engage in the democratic process and appeal to members of Congress for action on Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Assn. 2014 Facts and Figures report, there are more than 5 million...

The small European country of Belgium is in the news after its parliament voted to remove age restrictions from the country's euthanasia laws. If King Philippe signs the bill into law, it means children will be eligible for euthanasia.
Belgium has allowed euthanasia since 2002. One of the provisions in the law is that it only applies to those in "constant and unbearable physical or mental suffering that cannot be alleviated."
The removal of age restrictions does mean more safeguards, including that...

Travis Bean, a life-long Burbank resident who revolutionized guitar manufacturing with his aluminum-necked instruments, died on July 10 after a nearly two-decade battle with cancer. He was 63.
Bean broke into the electric guitar manufacturing business — then dominated by Fender and Gibson — in the 1970s when he co-founded the Travis Bean Guitars with close friend Marcus McElwee. They closed shop in 1979 amid a dispute with their corporate backers, but the instruments continue to enjoy a cult...

The two cement steps leading to Mary Jane Cannon’s front door in the 1300 block of Fairview Avenue are no more than 18 inches high. With her folding aluminum ramp — she has been in a wheelchair since a car accident at the age of 16 — it was easy access.
But in December, Cannon returned from her job at Carmax to find the ramp missing.
“When I came home, it literally looked like a grave because where the ramp was the grass hadn’t grown,” Cannon said.
She...

When 5-year-old Matthew Fernandez’s leukemia diagnosis because public in April, Michele Ramos knew she had to do more than just help the family with groceries.
“You cannot help but look your children in the eyes and wonder if this could have been them,” Ramos said. “We’re very, very lucky to have two healthy children.”
Ramos, a native of Austria who has lived in Burbank for 14 years, recalled the message she received from Matthew’s mom, Ana Fernandez.
“I...

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center Guild celebrated its 65th anniversary with a luncheon featuring a history lesson and lively music on Nov. 19 at Lakeside Golf Club.
President Kathleen Marsden and event co-chairwomen Karen Barragan and Terry Campbell welcomed the more than 50 people attending the event, including Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes, who presented the guild with a proclamation summarizing the guild’s major contributions to the Burbank medical center.
Other committee members...

LA CRESCENTA — Conflicting school colors blended into a unified shade of pink for Tuesday afternoon's Pacific League girls' volleyball game between Burbank High and host Crescenta Valley. The Bulldogs and the Falcons both donned pink jerseys for the annual "Dig Pink" event, through which both teams raised money to find a cure for breast cancer.
But while the two squads came together for the cause, Tuesday's game was very much about gaining separation for the Bulldogs, who widened their lead over...